Long Island's pine barrens are under threat from the southern pine beetle, an invasive species causing severe damage to the ecosystem. The beetle, which has been present in Suffolk County for a decade, attacks pine trees, making them vulnerable to fire by causing them to die and become dry wood. Officials, including Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, highlight the serious implications of this problem, noting the rapid spread and the dangers of falling trees in high-traffic areas. Solutions are being worked on, but the urgency remains as the beetle continues to wreak havoc on local landscapes.
"This is a serious, serious problem," Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine told The Post. "They've eaten through hundreds, if not thousands of acres of pine trees...these trees die, they look terrible, they're not coming back to life, and then they provide fodder for fires."
Romaine said a dozen trees a day are falling victim to the insect, explaining that the end of the South Fork has also taken a ferocious beating from the tree killer. "You drive out to Montauk, you look at Amagansett, it's like 'oh my God, what happened here?'"
Suffolk's Commissioner of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services, Rudy Sunderman, explained that, along with fire risk - it has caused brush fires in the past - there are other hazards associated with the troublesome critter. "The pine beetle issue does cause falling trees, leaning trees...We've been working on that, clearing trails of dangerous trees..."
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